Rail-joint.



N0. 741',139.' PATENTED OCT. 13, 1903.

G W. JOHNSON.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 27. 1908.

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SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 741,139, dated October 13, 1903.

Application filed my 27, 1903.

To ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. JOHNSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Nickerson, in the county of Dodge and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to rail-joints; and it consists of certain novel features of construction and combination of parts, as will be hereinafter clearly set forth, the object of my invention being to provide a simple form of joint whereby the ends of the track-rails may be placed into an interlocking or cooperative position.

A further object of myinvention is to provide such form of rail-joint as will enable any one of the rails to be readilylifted out of position for the purpose of replacement or repair.

Other objects and advantages will be hereinafter made clearly apparent, reference bein ghad to the accompanying drawings, which are made a part of this application, and in which- Figure 1 shows a perspective view of my invention complete. Fig. 2 shows the end of one of the rails formed after the manner of my invention. Fig. 3 shows the opposite side of the rail from that presented in Fig. 2.

For convenience numerals will be employed in referring to the details of my invention and cooperating parts, the same numeral applying to a similar part throughout the several views.

Referring to the numerals on the drawings, 1 indicates the cross-ties of the usual or any preferred construction, while 2 designates the track-raiL-the sides of each I rail being cut away, so as to form a plurality of dovetail recesses, as indicated by the numeral 3 in Figs. 2 and 3. Said recesses afford seats for receiving similarly-shaped extensions formed upon the complementary rail-section, said extensions, which are adapted to fit said seats 8, being of dovetail form, as indicated by the numeral 4. In forming the seats or recesses 3 I first prefer to cut away the side of the rail, thereby forming the offsets or shoulders 5,

Serial No. 1 6 7,166. (No model.)

which enable the end of the complementary rail-section to be set into the same, thereby preserving the line of contour of the rails, whereby the edges thereof will be continuous or uninterrupted.

In Fig. 1 I have shown the meeting ends of two of the rail-sections as being united together by means of the dovetail extensions 4 fitting corresponding seats 3 in the other rail, and it will be observed that not only the sides of the rail are left continuous, but the top section thereof is also formed in the same manner. It is therefore obvious that by reason of the foregoing construction one of the rails may be lifted after removing the anchoring-spikes 6,and thus easily separated from the other rail without disturbing the same. Inasmuch as the meeting ends of the rail-sections are thus disposed in an interlocked position, it follows that they will reinforce each other to a large extent and will therefore be fitted to carry the heavy loads placed thereon incident to the use of the same. It is thought that the ends of the rails may be cheaply formed by forging the same, though other processes of construction may. be adopted, if preferred. To prevent all tendency of either of the rails to rise upward, an aperture may be formed, so Lthat half of it will be in the end of one of the rails, while the other half will be in the shoulder 5, so that the bolt may be passed through the web-section 7 of the rail, and said bolt will preventrelative upward and down ward movement of the rails, while the head and nut upon said bolt will securely retain the bolt in place. In some instances a rivet or section of rod may be entered through the aperture, which in Fig. 1 is indicated by the numeral 8, and the ends of the rod upset, thereby dispensing with a nut to hold the same in position. Ordinarily, however, the bolt or rivet may be wholly omitted and the aperture 8 unprovided, though I reserve the right to employ said reinforcing device or omit it, as I may prefer to do in practice.

Believing that the advantages and manner of constructing my invention have thus been made clearly apparent, further description is deemed unnecessary.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The herein-described rail-joint comprising means to hold the rail-sections against verti- IO aplurality of dovetail vertically-disposed recal displacement all combined substantially cesses 3 and dovetail extensions 4 formed at as specified and for the purpose'set forth. regular intervals upon the meeting faces of In testimony whereof I affix my signature the ends of the rails whereby the recesses on in presence of two witnesses.

one of the rails will receive the dovetail ex- GEORGE W. JOHNSON. tensions on the complementary rail and therevWitnesses:

by hold the rails interlocked together and GUY R. STEWART, against longitudinal movement and suitable I EDWARD HAYS. 

